Orlando Ranks #2 after Miami in Florida Questionable Claims, NICB Reports

December 20, 2013

The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) recently released an analysis on questionable claims submitted by NICB member insurance companies from 2010 to 2012. Questionable claims (QCs) are those claims that NICB member insurance companies submit to the NICB for closer review and possible investigation. The NICB report analyzes questionable claims by loss city, core-based statistical area, policy type, loss type, and referral reasons.

The report revealed a shocking 23 percent spike in the number of questionable claims submitted in Florida from 2010 to 2012, rising from 8,723 in 2010 to 10,693 in 2012.

Miami generated the most QCs in Florida in 2012, with 2,309 QCs submitted to the NICB. Orlando generated the next highest level (877), followed by Tampa (690), Jacksonville (637), and Hialeah (361).  The most frequent types of loss were personal injury protection (PIP), bodily injury, other automobile, collision, and property damage.

The NICB reminds readers that QCs represent a small portion of overall claims. Of the 70.5 million in total national claims cited by NICB in 2012, only 116,268—or 0.164 percent were—questionable.

Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater has taken measures to reduce the amount of insurance related crime in the state of Florida. In 2010, he launched Operation Sledgehammer—a multi-agency investigation into insurance fraud in the state of Florida. Despite state government’s attempts to crack down on insurance fraud, Florida still has the fifth highest insurance rates in the nation.

Click on the link to read the full NICB Report on Florida Questionable Claims.